Leap of Faith
by soybean
Summary: [Yoh x Anna] AU. Anna grew up believing men were the enemy. But upon meeting Yoh Asakura, can she stay true to her resolve?


**Author's Notes**: A new story, a fresh new start. I was struck by a plot bunny and _had_ to get it in writing before I forgot.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King.

**Leap of Faith**

**Prologue**

_It began at first with whispers, quiet voices you needed to strain to hear._

"_Are you seeing another woman?"_

"_No."_

_Then shrieks -- anger, accusations._

"_Liar! How _dare_ you?"_

_"It's... she's..."_

_And finally, the sound of glass breaking, and the anguished cries of a woman._

_Little four-year-old Anna was a precocious child, clever beyond her years, yet she did not fully understand what was happening. She knelt behind the almost-closed door, peaking through the crack. What she did know was something was wrong. Weren't mommies and daddies supposed to love each other? Or at least get along? At least, that's what she had been told in her upbringing._

_Then why was mommy crying? Why was daddy yelling? Why was he hurting mommy? Why...?_

_She could watch no more. Quietly, using the doorknob as leverage, Anna picked herself up off the ground and ran back to her room. She buried herself under the covers and clapped her hands over her ears, willing the trauma and confusion away._

_Without realizing it, tears had leaked from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. She fell asleep crying, telling herself, 'Tomorrow everything will be better.'_

_And if only that were true._

_------_

_"Mama, where are we going?" a five-year-old Anna peered quizzically up at her mother._

_Naïve, innocent eyes met weary, defeated ones as her mother heaved the last of their suitcases into the back of the navy-blue minivan._

_"Away."_

_A pause._

"_We're going away for a little while," was the gentle, but vague answer. "Now get in the car."_

_Wordlessly, Anna did what she was told, as her mother climbed into the driver's seat. There was something she wasn't telling her, an unspoken fact. Secrets. But the small, blonde child said nothing as the engine of the car roared to life. The two were off._

_Silence settled in the vehicle as they drove towards whatever destination awaited them. Anna didn't know where they were going and she didn't ask. She simply stared lifelessly at the beautiful scenery she knew so well, flying by the window. All of it she committed to memory; she didn't know when – or even _if _– she'd ever see any of it again._

_After who-knew-how-long - the young child had lost track of time - the car jolted to a stop in front of a house of ivory... Anna recognized this house._

_"Gran'ma? Gran'pa?" she questioned hesitantly, turning to stare up at the deep green window panes._

_A small, sad smile was all she received in return. And a mumble that she had to strain to hear._

_"Men are the enemy."_

_That phrase would haunt her for the rest of her existence._

_------_

That was all nine years ago, but the memories stayed fresh in her mind. They were burned there, permanently, like a felonious scar that refused to be mended. Yes, it was very much that - a scar. And it would never heal.

They'd moved several times since then. Anna remembered she had just graduated the fourth grade when her mother finally got her big promotion - from the rookie assistant to the executive financial marketer. That's when they'd bought a house of their own in Izumo, Japan.

And that's where they'd lived ever since.

Fifth grade began, and Anna was the new kid. She'd long since shut herself off from the world, building a stone wall around her heart. She wouldn't end up like her mother. She would never forgive her father and his kind, and she refused to be hurt in the same way.

So what better way than to not get close to anyone. Because in any case...

_Men are the enemy_.

But it was easier said than done, for the actual task was a difficult one. She knew it would be on the very first day when she'd first walked into the classroom, and his smile greeted her. Nothing else in the room existed, save for that boy. Well, maybe not _her_ directly. No, that goofy smile seemed forever imprinted on his face, for no one in particular. Or rather, everyone. But even so...

He was radiant.

He was the one thing she looked forward to each morning - a beautiful way to start off her day. _Each and every_ day.

This was how it was through the remainder of elementary school, and junior high. She was still quite wary of people. People made you hurt. People made you cry. But still, Anna longed to reach out and grab his hand. Walk beside him. Laugh with him. Be the reason for his smile.

But she remained true to her resolve. She didn't need a man in her life to make her feel loved. She didn't need some guy to make her feel complete. Although, both _did _sound appealing... and all because of him.

Anna walked the three blocks to her high school; Izumo Southern High School. The streets were crowded with people rushing to get to work on time. The trains and buses were packed, limbs filling up every nook and cranny.

She took no notice of this. This was her life. And life was boring. And life was dull. And most of all, life hurt. To Anna, this was a fact.

Upon reaching her school, she climbed two flights of stairs to her homeroom, 2-C. Her hand twisted the doorknob, and she slipped into the classroom unnoticed.

Class had not yet begun, and it would not for another 5 minutes. Anna's eyes drifted down from the clock on the high wall, its second hand ticking away, and met that familiar smile again.

_Not for her_...

She reminded herself this.

'Hello again, Yoh Asakura,' she greeted him mentally, for this she would never say out loud. Placing a lifeless expression on her face, she sat down in an empty seat in the corner and stared intently at the blackboard. The room was mostly quiet, the occasional blabbermouth rambling here and there. She twitched, annoyed and growing impatient. A tardy teacher was unacceptable.

Unknown to her, _his_ eyes discreetly followed her every movement. They were fixated on the golden-haired beauty. They always had been. And, in Anna's own words -- err, thoughts -- some things just don't change.

'Good morning, Anna Kyouyama.'

Though, like she, he would speak nothing of these thoughts of his. At least, not yet. He recognized the solid wall protecting her heart. His advances could yield catastrophic results. No, he promised himself he would wait for her to step outside of her shell first.

But the winds of change were blowing.

**To be continued**


End file.
